Choices

On Thanksgiving, we just want to say thanks to you.

This Thanksgiving is going to be a little bit different for the Marquis household. That’s because, for the first time in over 10 years, one of us will be eating turkey.

My wife and I chose to go vegetarian about 12 years ago. We recently added fish back into our diet, so we’re no longer vegetarian by definition. But beef, poultry and pork have remained off the menu for a variety of reasons.

Growing up, my children expressed curiosity about meat, particularly when an omnivore like their Grandpa joined us for a meal. They would eyeball his barbecued chicken and quiz him about its taste. But, with rare, and usually accidental, exception, they did not partake.

Eventually, my wife and I decided to allow our children to make their own dietary choices when they turned ten. I’m not sure why we choose that age. Probably because we thought it was sufficiently far enough into the future to not have to worry about it.

But our children kept aging, as children, and indeed all humans, do. So here we are on the eve our first Thanksgiving with a daughter who eagerly awaits her turkey dinner. I guess, as forms of rebellion go, this is as benign as they come, so we’re grateful for that. But my wife, at least, now wishes we’d put this off until she was older. You know, like when she turned 13. Or maybe 30.

Personally, I don’t regret the decision to offer our kids choices. But I do wish we’d spent a little more time helping them understand our choices as well. Right now, their primary motivation whether or not to eat something is that it tastes good. And hey, that’s important! But that can lead to mass consumption of Cheetos and Oreos and all manner of junk food. And then that often leads to some sick tummies.

So, as dutiful parents, we have tried to convey how our choices affect not only us but the world around us. That we should give thoughtful consideration to the choices we make is of paramount importance. But such nuanced decision making is understandably lost on most ten year olds, ours included.

Anyway, the point of all this is not to dissuade you from enjoying your Thanksgiving turkey. On the contrary, it is to thank you for your careful consideration in choosing The Pace Group as a valued partner. It is important to recognize the thought that goes into the choices we adults make, in business as in life, especially given the plethora of choices before us.

And the fact that you have, indeed, chosen us makes us feel quite thankful indeed.